Body supported granular material spreader

ABSTRACT

A body supported granular material spreader is provided by a container which receives the granular material. The bottom wall of the container communicates with a depending outlet conduit having a butterfly-type valve mounted therein. The butterfly valve is actuated by a lever and cooperating stop means associated with a wall of the container and with the lever permit opening of the spreader valve between a closed position and a full open position at a plurality of intermediate positions. The spreader is also provided with depending legs which extend a distance greater than the length of the outlet conduit so that the spreader is self-supporting when it is not in use or for filling purposes.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Tom Shelton Box 102-8 Rte. 1, Corbin, Ky. 40701 [21 Appl. No. 847,938 [22] Filed Aug. 6, 1969 [45] Patented Sept. 7, 1971 [54] BODY SUPPORTED GRANULAR MATERIAL SPREADER 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. CL 222/43, 222/175 [51] Int. Cl 867d 5/22 [50] FieldofSeerch 214/17; 222/175, 181, 556, 43,44, 45, 48

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,746,410 211930 Tolmorn, Jr 222/556 2,720,721 10/ 1 955 Reynolds, Jr. et al.. 222/175 UX 2,770,398 1 H1956 Sauerman 222/ 181 661 ,546 11/1900 Myers et al. 222/43 851,241 4/1907 Linton 222/48 2,837,240 6/1958 Boore 222/43 FOREIGN PATENTS 506,826 611920 France 222/44 534,834 2/1956 Italy 222/556 Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner -Norman L. Stack, Jr. Attorney-Stowell and Stowell ABSTRACT: A body supported granular material spreader is provided by a container which receives the granular material. The bottom wall of the container communicates with a depending outlet conduit having a butterfly-type valve mounted therein. The butterfly valve is actuated by a lever and cooperating stop means associated with a wall of the container and with the lever permit opening of the spreader valve between a closed position and a full open position at a plurality of intermediate positions. The spreader is also provided with depending legs which extend a distance greater than the length of the outlet conduit so that the spreader is self-supporting when it is not in use or for filling purposes.

PATENTED SEP 'IIBYI INVENTOR TOM SHELTON FIG, 2

66 2 42 485 52 54 64 8 BY w M ATTORNEYS;

PATENTED SEF IIHYI SHEET U? H HEAVY MED. WNW

INVENTOR TOM SHELTON ATTORNEYS.

BODY SUPPORTED GRANULAR MATERIAL SPREADER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Granular material dispensers and spreaders are known in which valve means are provided for dispensing granular material maintained in a hand or body carriage support. Such devices of the prior art generally do not permit presetting of the rate of flow of the granular material and the convenience of being self-supporting when not in use.

THE PRESENT INVENTION It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a simple, relatively inexpensive spreader for granular fluent material adapted to the supported by the body of the user.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such a device wherein a single actuating lever opens aflow control valve andmeans are associated with the lever'to provide stop means for regulating the amount of flow from the spreader.

Another object of the invention is to provide a body supported granular material spreader wherein legs depend from the spreader a distance greater than a fixed outlet so that the spreader is self-supporting, in anupright position, when the spreader is not in use.

Otherobjects and advantages of the invention are provided by a body supported granular material spreader comprisinga walled container adapted to receive granular fluid material, an outlet conduit in the bottom thereof communicating with the interior of the container, a valve in the outlet conduit having a closed position,.an open position, and intermediate positions between the open and closed positions, an actuating lever for said valve, and stop means cooperating with the wall of the container and with the actuating lever to limit movement thereof andto determine the valve setting.

The invention will be more particularly described in reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the granular material spreader of the invention with the cover or like in the open position;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the structures illustrated in FIGURE I;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken from line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary partial sectional view of the outlet conduit and conduit extension means for the device illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3.

Referringto the drawing, III generally designates an improved body supported granular material spreader which includes acontainer 12 having end and bottom walls, a cover 14; an outlet spout generally designated 16 at the lower end of the-bottom wall, valve control means 18 and a flexible draft member 20 connected at its ends to the sidewalls so that the spreader may be conveniently carried by the body of the user.

As illustrated in the drawing the container I2 includes a generally semicylindrical wall portion 22 and a pair of flat sidewalls 24 and 26 secured thereto such as by welding, if the container is formed of metal. It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the material of construction is not critical and the entire container I2 may be cast or molded from, for example, high impact plastic.

Centrally secured in the lower barrel portion of the wall 22 is an outlet conduit 28 forming a portion of the outlet spout I6 as more clearly illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings. Since the wall 22 slopes towards the outlet l6 mechanical agitators, stirrers and the like are not required to maintain a substantially uniformed flow of granular material from the container. The cover M is counted to the sidewall 24 by hinges 34) shown, for example, in FIGS. I and 3 of the drawings.

Mounted within the outlet conduit 28 is a flow control valve member generally designated 32. The flow control valve mechanisms 32' includes a plate member 3d provided with generally depending wings 36 which wings are formed to receive a pivot pin 38. The wings are secured to the pin 38 by for example welding so that when the pin 38 is rotated the plate 34 is moved'from the closed positionillustratcd in FIG. 3 and a to an openposition.

One end of the pin 38 extends laterally beyond the sidewall 26 of the containenllZ and, receives on the extended end thereof an operating lever 40. The lever 40 is attached by, for example, a screw fastener 42 which holds the lever 40 onto a squared portion of the shaft 38, not shown inthe drawing, whereby movement of the lever 40 via the handle portion 44 causes the butterfly-type valve 32 to operate.

In a preferred form of the invention the control valve 32'is in the fully closed position when the plate 34 thereof is at approximately the 45 position with the horizontal.

In the illustrated form of the invention a plate member 48 is secured to the upper lateral edge of sidewall 26 by for example screw-type fasteners 50. The plate 48 carries a pair of fixed pins or pegs 52 and 54 and the length of the pegs 52 and 54- are such that they engage the operating lever 40 as more clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing.

Peg 52 represents that position of the lever 40 when the valve is fully closed and peg 54 represents the stop'positio'n for lever 40 when the flow control valve 32 is in the full open position. The bar 48 is also provided with a plurality of bores or openings designated 56, 58 and 60 which bores or openings are adapted to receive the cylindrical end 62 of a stop peg 64 which stop peg is attached by a flexible draft member 66 to the plate 418 as at 68. Indicia, such as shown at A, FIG. 3, of the drawing may be placed under the bores 56, 58 and 60 to indicate to the user the approximate rate of flow of material from the container I0 when the peg or stop member 64 is positioned in such openings.

While the positive releasible peg is employed as the flow control setting means for the valve in conjunction with the operating lever it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the removable peg stop could be replaced by a springtype detent members either carried by the lever Ali) and adapted to engage the openings 56, 58 and 60 or the detents might replace the openings 56, 58 and 60 and engage a socket on the inner surface of the operating lever 40. While such click stop detent means would permit the operator of the device to quickly shift from, for example, light or medium to the heavy flow operating position, such stops are not as positive as the illustrated peg stop means.

The assembly also includes a pair of legs or support members 72 and 74 which are secured to the curved portion of the sidewall 22 by screws or the like shown more cleariy in FIG. 2 of the drawing. The length of the legs 72 and 74 are selected to be greater than the length X, FIG. I, of the discharge spout 28 so that the device may be rested upon the legs when the device is being filed or when it is not otherwise in use. In order to modify or improve the distribution of the granular fluent material an auxiliary spout 30 may be provided. The auxiliary spout is provided with a type slot attaching means 32 which is receivable about the outward extension of the pin or peg 38 whereby the discharge conduit extension may be readily applied or removed by the operator.

While a nontelescopic-type discharge tube is illustrated in the drawings it will be recognized that an accordion or tele scopic-type tube extension may be employed with the device so that removal of the tube is not necessary when it is desired to rest the spreader on its feet 72 and 74 In an preferred embodiment of the spreader of the invention, particularly adapted for depositing fertilizer on lawns or the like, the container 112 has a width of 8 inches; a length' across the top of 14 inches and a depth at the center of 9 inches. Further witha spreader having a container size as disclosed above a discharge conduit having a diameter of three-fourths of an inch with a discharge tube extension of 12 I claim:

1. A body supported granular material spreader comprising a container body having opposing substantially flat sidewalls, opposing end walls, a bottom wall and an open top and adapted to house a free flowing supply of granular material, means carried by the end walls for engaging the body ofa user so that the container body is supported by a users body in a substantially vertical position with one sidewall being innermost toward the user's body and the other sidewall being outermost from the users body, a gravitational discharge means provided on the bottom wall in communication with the interior of the container body, a shaft transversely arranged and rotatably mounted in said discharge means, a valve plate operatively positioned in the discharge means and carried by the shaft, said shaft having an end portion extending beyond the outer sidewall, an actuating lever disposed alongside and parallel w'fi h the outer sidewall and having a lower end portion connected to the extended end portion of the shaft and having an upper end portion defining a handle portion and disposed above the top of the container body, said lever being moved in a curvilinear path by the users hand engaging the handle portion above the top of the container body and moving the valve plate from a closed to a fully open position and to intermediate open positions between the closed and fully open positions, said outer sidewall having a plate member fixed thereon adjacent its upper end and parallel with the top, said plate member having opposing end portions adjacent the end wells, stop pegs carried by said end portions nand extending outwardly from the outer side wall normal to the path of movement of the lever and defining positive stops for limiting travel of the lever toward the opposing ends of the container body, said lever when engaged with one stop peg locating the valve plate in a fully closed position and when engaged with the other stop peg locating the valve plate in a fully open p0sition, said plate member being formed intermediate its end portions with transverse bores arranged normal to the outer sidewall, said bores being spaced apart along the long axis of the plate member, a removable stop peg adapted to be fitted into a selected bore in opposing relation to the fully closed stop peg so as to be engaged by the lever in its valve opening movement and positively located the valve plate in one intermediate open position and tether means connected between the removable stop peg and the plate member.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said user's body engaging means carried by the end walls of the container body includes a flexible strap having opposing ends anchored to the end walls of the container body adjacent the top thereof.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein a closure lid is provided for said open top and hinge means carried by the inner sidewall and connecting the closure lid to the container body.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said tether means includes an elongated flexible element anchored to the plate member and carrying the removable stop peg. 

1. A body supported granular material spreader comprising a container body having opposing substantially flat sidewalls, opposing end walls, a bottom wall and an open top and adapted to house a free flowing supply of granular material, means carried by the end walls for engaging the body of a user so that the container body is supported by a user''s body in a substantially vertical position with one sidewall being innermost toward the user''s body and the other sidewall being outermost from the user''s body, a gravitational discharge means provided on the bottom wall in communication with the interior of the container body, a shaft transversely arranged and rotatably mounted in said discharge means, a valve plate operatively positioned in the discharge means and carried by the shaft, said shaft having an end portion extending beyond the outer sidewall, an actuating lever disposed alongside and parallel with the outer sidewall and having a lower end portion connected to the extended end portion of the shaft and having an upper end portion defining a handle portion and disposed above the top of the container body, said lever being moved in a curvilinear path by the user''s hand engaging the handle portion above the top of the container body and moving the valve plate from a closed to a fully open position and to intermediate open positions between the closed and fully open positions, said outer sidewall having a plate member fixed thereon adjacent its upper end and parallel with the top, said plate member having opposing end portions adjacent the end walls, stop pegs carried by said end portions nand extending outwardly from the outer side wall normal to the path of movement of the lever and defining positive stops for limiting travel of the lever toward the opposing ends of the container body, said lever when engaged with one stop peg locating the valve plate in a fully closed position and when engaged with the other stop peg locating the valve plate in a fully open position, said plate member being formed intermediate its end portions with transverse bores arranged normal to the outer sidewall, said bores being spaced apart along the long axis of the plate member, a removable stop peg adapted to be fitted into a selected bore in opposing relation to the fully closed stop peg so as to be engaged by the lever in its valve opening movement and positively located the valve plate in one intermediate open position and tether means cOnnected between the removable stop peg and the plate member.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said user''s body engaging means carried by the end walls of the container body includes a flexible strap having opposing ends anchored to the end walls of the container body adjacent the top thereof.
 3. The invention of claim 1 wherein a closure lid is provided for said open top and hinge means carried by the inner sidewall and connecting the closure lid to the container body.
 4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said tether means includes an elongated flexible element anchored to the plate member and carrying the removable stop peg. 